


Shared Secrets

by Squikkums



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Groot thinks he's funny, Humor, Inside jokes, Pre-Movie(s), Rocket looks like a jackass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 05:13:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2217000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squikkums/pseuds/Squikkums
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There had never been a time when Rocket hadn't had an instinctive understanding of Groot's words, but it still took a few weeks of them travelling together for him to really start to pick up on the nuances of his language. Rocket still remembered the exact moment when he felt like he really got what his new partner was saying. That was also when he'd started to call the Flora Colossus a friend in his mind, although it would be months before he said anything about it to Groot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shared Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Aristotle, you're such a wonderful beta, I can't thank you enough.

There had never been a time when Rocket hadn't had an instinctive understanding of Groot's words, but it still took a few weeks of them travelling together for him to really start to pick up on the nuances of his language. Rocket still remembered the exact moment when he felt like he really got what his new partner was saying. That was also when he'd started to call the Flora Colossus a friend in his mind, although it would be months before he said anything about it to Groot.

The bounty had been entirely _not_ what Rocket would have chosen; finding and returning a child to their parents was work for the local law enforcement, not a pair of badass bounty hunters. But would Groot listen to this sound and reasonable advice? No! So here they were, passing the whiny little brat back to it's equally whiny parents, who were clutching frantically to the child and blubbering their thanks instead of getting straight to the money.

Rocket glanced over at Groot, who looked to be just soaking up the praise and blossoming under the teary, grateful gaze of the family. He tried not to sigh too loudly.

"Thank you, thank you so much sir! We thought we'd never see our little girl again. You don't know how much this means to us!" The woman with the plume of feathers down her back was clutching at one of Groot's rough hands as she spoke.

"I am Groot."

Up until now Rocket had always relied on the context and tone of voice in Groot's words to make sense of them. The absolute dichotomy between this gag-inducingly sweet scene and the filth that Groot had just spoken threw Rocket for a loop. He thought that he had to have misunderstood, but as he looked up incredulously and met Groot's amused gaze he couldn't have held back his snort of laughter if his life had depended on it.

Feathers pulled back a little and gave Rocket a scandalized look before smiling back up at Groot uncertainly. Groot looked down at her, his eyes brimming with sincerity and kindness, and said the absolute rudest thing Rocket had ever heard in his life; which was saying something since Rocket did not spend his time in nice, polite places. The woman (who couldn't understand a thing Groot was saying, of course) smiled and gripped his hand tighter, obviously assuming he'd said something comforting and kind. Rocket had his fist shoved against his mouth to try and muffle his helpless, scandalized laughter, but it was no longer enough. He fell against Groot's ankle, laughing too hard to even stand on his own.

"I'm sorry, did my wife say something funny?" The woman holding onto her daughter a little ways back looked offended on behalf of her wife. She glared at Rocket over the top of her daughter's head.

"No, no, I'm just so-" Rocket made the mistake of meeting Groot's eyes again and let out a strangled, hysterical giggle. "-so happy that everything worked out." He covered his eyes with an arm to prevent accidentally looking at Groot again; if he offended this couple too much they'd never get their credits.

A pregnant silence passed before the two women apparently decided to simply ignore Rocket and focus once more on Groot.

"We won't ever forget what you've done for us mister Groot, we wish we could give you double this, but our deepest thanks will have to do." The clink of credits changing hands brought Rocket's arm down. He looked back up at Groot, who was accepting the credits with an earnest expression that was completely at odds with what he said as soon as Rocket was looking again.

"I am Groot." The tone was all gentle thanks and humbleness. The rude disregard for the value of their deepest thanks was not coming across at all if you ignored the meaning in Groot's words. Rocket wheezed out another giggle and tried his best to muffle the sound in the bark of Groot's leg.

Groot smiled fondly and passed a tiny purple flower to the young girl, curled against the leg of her mother much the way Rocket was curled against his own. He nodded to the family and they smiled back at him before giving Rocket one last disgruntled look and turning to leave.

It took another few seconds for Rocket to catch his breath enough to scamper up the rough bark of Groot's side and arm to settle on his shoulder. As soon as he was seated Groot started back towards their ship at a steady, lumbering pace.

"You rude, sneaky bastard, you made me look like a krutaking jackass! I hope you're happy." Rocket's tone was approving and fond, at odds with his words and much more meaningful. Groot smiled to himself before pointing out the similarities between Rocket and the little girl that he had noticed earlier.

"Shut up flark face! D'ast you're such a dick." Rocket was laughing again, and had wrapped his tail and one arm tight around Groot's neck. This was good; Groot hummed contentedly before responding as he walked towards the ship port.

“I am Groot.”

“Yes you are, a dick who thinks he’s a flarking comedian, making me look like I’m the jerk. Not like anyone would believe me if I told em.” Rocket picked a tiny yellow flower from Groot’s shoulder and waved it annoyingly in front of Groot’s face.

“I am Groot!”

Rocket smirked as Groot batted away his flower so that he could key in the code to unlock their ship. “Okay funny guy, you got us the money, you choose where we go to blow it.”

Rocket had never had an inside joke with someone before. He could almost feel the warm weight of their shared secret wrapped all around him, safe and comforting. He liked that feeling, liked it being him and Groot against the world.

Rocket stuck his flower back in Groot’s face and waved it around. He wanted to get used to this, having a friend, no matter how vulnerable that made him. And with Groot he thought he just might.

 


End file.
